“It’s fine. We were just about to start,” the reporter, Nancy Lang, says. I’ve watched her on the local news for years, so I feel like I know her well, although we’ve met only one time in person, when she requested this exclusive interview for the relaunch. “Okay,” she says. “We’ll do a sit-down with all three of you here, and then individual interviews, followed by some B roll around campus, in your dorm rooms, on the quad and in classrooms and so on,” she says. “Sound good?”

“Sure,” Sara says.

I nod. I try to remember exactly how messy my room is right now, and wonder if there’s time to text my roommate to tidy up. But of course, in front of the camera I just smile, because what am I going to say—sorry, but my laundry is on my floor, we can’t film?

“Let’s get started.” Nancy’s crew helps rig me up with a microphone, and then spends a very long time adjusting the lighting in ways so small that I don’t notice a difference, although they definitely do.

“Okay, I was thinking you guys could tell us a little bit about the app, and then I’ll ask you a few questions.”

I nod, and a red light clicks on above the camera.

“So, Roberto and Sara, as I understand it, you were at the helm of one of the fastest-growing dating apps in the world. And then, in what seemed like an instant, you took it off-line. Why?” she asks. “What happened?”

Sara looks to me and I nod; she can answer this one. She’s had more of a journey answering that question for herself.

“Well...” She repositions the way she’s sitting. “We realized that the product we were making was not having the sort of impact we had hoped. Our initial product, which was called Perfect10, hinged around individuals having a ranking of desirability. And we started to see the detrimental effects it was having on almost all our users. When we realized this, and that the problem was at the core of the algorithm, we had no choice but to shut it down,” Sara explains.

“What’s more,” she continues, “the app wasn’t doing what it initially promised, which was to help people find love. Finding true love is not about hundreds of people thinking you’re desirable, but about connecting deeply with the people who are right for you. No one is objectively more lovable than someone else. It’s about finding the right person and building a strong partnership with them. So we set out to build a new product, something that will promote that sort of connection.” She turns to me.